Armed resistance, not civil disobedience, defeated the state’s final crackdown on Maidan
Evidence
On February 18, the government tried to crack down on the square, this time by force, and it failed—not because of widespread civil disobedience, but because the armed minority fought back. Twenty-eight people died on that day, including ten members of the Berkut riot police force. On February 19, Yanukovych was ready to negotiate with the opposition on new elections and constitutional reforms. The events to come on February 20 made this impossible. — Vincent Bevins, If We Burn, 509
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Sniper fire of contested origin triggered security-force defections and Yanukovych’s fall; Nonviolent civil disobedience tactics won concessions from a resistant federal government — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 281; Committed nonviolent resistance defeated major oppressive regimes in the 20th century (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Nonviolent civil disobedience tactics won concessions from a resistant federal government
#contradicts(0.80) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 281 - A tiny far-right fringe, not the population, dominated the Maidan’s militant core
#responds-to(0.75) — Vincent Bevins, If We Burn, 492 - Committed nonviolent resistance defeated major oppressive regimes in the 20th century
#contradicts(0.70)